NGS

Who Is This?

I'm a girl. I live in Wisconsin with my husband. We have a cat named Zelda, a houseplant named Lindsey, an herb garden on our balcony that is always *thisclose* to being nothing more than soil, and a habit of watching Criminal Minds until way past an appropriate bedtime. I'm a grad school flunkie with leftover angsty feelings from that time in my life. I can't parallel park or ride my bike with no hands. I can teach systems of equations, though, so I feel like I've gotten a fair shake in life.

Photo Project

My best friend and I take pictures every day. Every day of the month has a different theme. Enjoy!

Past Musings

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

It was an exciting moment when I met my actual goal. It just so happened that I wanted a 22 BMI and the weight that is associated with that BMI and I finally got there. It took the better part of eight months, counting calories (I'm such a drag) and working out every day.

I'm not going to do before and after pictures because that would mean I'd have to go take a selfie in the bathroom, put on makeup, and actually brush my hair, but I have to say that you probably wouldn't notice that much of a difference between me then and me now.

I had an interesting conversation with my husband, though, on the day I met this milestone. When I look in the mirror, I don't see much difference between now and when I started all this in July. I still see rolls of fat, I still see chubby cheeks, and I still see me, the same me I was before. Dr. BB reminded me, oh so gently, that it's not about LOOKS. It's about how I feel and what I can do. I feel physically and mentally strong, I do hard workouts and I feel good afterwards, and I'm not afraid that I'm going to be the person slowing us down when we go somewhere because I'm limping or sore. Looks are of tertiary importance, at best, and if my husband thinks I look fine and I feel fine, that's good enough, isn't it?

But, guess what? I, just like every other woman in America with a television and an Internet connection, am surrounded by images of "the perfect female body" in the form of actresses, models, and every other blogger out there who is dieting. Looks should not be important to me, but when I raised the issue that maybe I could stand to lose another seven or eight pounds, I was quickly shot down. I don't need to look like Angelina Jolie, right? I'm strong, healthy, and my doctor is probably not going to tell me that I need to lose weight the next time I go in. So that's it. I'm in maintenance mode now, still working out every day, but allowing myself three Hershey's Kisses once in a while instead of just one.

My cat doesn't care as long as I keep her in toys. Isn't she the prettiest thing you've ever seen? This is one of only a handful of pictures I have of her where you can see her beautiful eyes. Also, yes, Zelda gets weighed every day on the Wii, too. She's on a maintenance schedule, keeping herself at a svelte (fluffy) 10.5 - 11 pounds. Go Team Feline!!